I have the standard Hobie scupper-mounted beach cart with the soft Wheeleez tires. This works fine in most situations, but is terrible for dragging a fully loaded PA across a lot of sand or rock. With water levels at historical lows on Lake Michigan where I frequently fish, once I get across the beach to the waters edge I still have to walk the PA out about 50 yards across surf-swept cobblestone rocks up to 4-6" before I can get deep enough to float. The standard cart is not up to this task.Can anybody recommend a retail cart that would...1) Get my fully loaded yak across this sand and rocks. This will require bigger tires. 2) Allow attachment to the PA in a breaking surf (impractical to tip the kayak on its side to attach the cart)I have looked at the Wheeleez Kayak Beach Cart http://www.wheeleez.com/kayak-cart-beach.phpbut those wheels just don't seem much bigger than the standard Hobie cart and I am not sure it would do the job.

Baja - I have the standard Trax-2 cart. I think that this uses the 24 x 12.3 cm soft polyurethane beach wheels. The referenced Wheeleez beach kayak cart standard wheels are 30 x 18 cm, which is not a lot bigger. The added width helps on sand, but the slightly larger diameter probably will not do much for getting over rocks. Next size up for Wheeleez wheels is their 42 x 20 cm which I think is what Hobie is using for their new Tandem Island Dolly (Hobie part 80046200 HOBIE DOLLY, TI BEACH-TIRE $499.00 List). That looks like more cart than I need, but the tires are probably what I am looking for. I was hoping to find something smaller than that dolly cart with those tires. Otherwise I may need to fabricate.

I had Wheeleze and they are too soft for my liking. The sidewalls flex so much that even on pavement it adds quite a bit to the rolling resistance. And on those rocks you might even injure the soft wheels. I have had good luck with a four inch wide 13 inch diameter wheelbarrow tire and wheel from Tractor supply. Inflated to 13 PSI it is soft enough to cushion the Yak over hard bumps but hard enough to not deflect like crazy and add to the rolling resistance. Has worked good in sand so far. My cart is a home made affair that allows me to just slide the Yak on and off the cart using blocks to stop the wheels from rolling. I retain the cart longitudinally with some half inch aluminum rods through the drain scuppers behind the seat. I got sick and tired of turning the Yak on it's side to get the cart into the scuppers. And the scuppers at the front of the rear well were a bit too far aft and caused a big load on the front handle.

While camped on Ohio Key, there was a husband and wife with a tandem Island. they had it on the wheeleze saddle cart. In order to help with the load he had a regular heavy duty scupper cart installed as well. He floated the Yak off the scupper cart when launching. Did not see him come back in so have no idea how he got it in while retrieving. We had a nice cement launch ramp so it was very easy to use the Yaks. For all the clap trap he had with the dual system and its limitations placed on turning radius, he might as well have had a trailer.

Yes, I agree that it is not much bigger than the cart you already have - I don't have the Trax 2 cart myself. I do know that in the mountain bike world those who ride over rocky terrain prefer 29" wheels over the standard 26" because it makes a world of difference over rocks - I'm sure the same philosophy pertains to our beach carts, so larger diameter is of more use than wheel width in that application.

Yes, it seems like there is a real opportunity here for someone who is handy at metalwork and motivated for product development. Imagine a standard Trax-2 type scupper cart design. Bend the vertical axel support pipes further out so that they extend beyond the sides of the PA when mounted in any scuppers. That way, the cart could accommodate large diameter wheels without rubbing on the hull. Use an axel and appropriate hardware so that you could quickly swap out one set of wheels for another (soft urethane Wheeleez style for beach, Heavy Duty Foam wheels for concrete or hardpack, inflatable, solid, etc for other conditions; various diameters from 24 - 42 cm). All of these wheels would fit on the same axel and none would rub the hull. Buy the scupper frame with whichever combination of wheels work for the areas you launch. No need for different carts for different conditions, just pop on a different set of wheels. The cart would have to be left onshore, but I think a lot of people leave their cart at the launch point most of the time, anyway. Just an idea...

Yes, it seems like there is a real opportunity here for someone who is handy at metalwork and motivated for product development. Imagine a standard Trax-2 type scupper cart design. Bend the vertical axel support pipes further out so that they extend beyond the sides of the PA when mounted in any scuppers. That way, the cart could accommodate large diameter wheels without rubbing on the hull. Use an axel and appropriate hardware so that you could quickly swap out one set of wheels for another (soft urethane Wheeleez style for beach, Heavy Duty Foam wheels for concrete or hardpack, inflatable, solid, etc for other conditions; various diameters from 24 - 42 cm). All of these wheels would fit on the same axel and none would rub the hull. Buy the scupper frame with whichever combination of wheels work for the areas you launch. No need for different carts for different conditions, just pop on a different set of wheels. The cart would have to be left onshore, but I think a lot of people leave their cart at the launch point most of the time, anyway. Just an idea...

The wider cart can easily be made with 1 inch stainless boat rail tubing and a cheap conduit bender from Home Depot. Use the rail hardware to put in the cross brace and don't rely on the little 1/4-28 set screws, and instead use through bolts in those holes. You can drill the tubes for an axle to fit the hubs you choose. Be sure to put braces from the middle of the axle to the junction of the uprights and the cross brace. That will help to keep it from deflecting a lot and having the wheels tip in at the top. They will do enough of that anyway on a long axle. Triangles are your friends in structures.

Turn the cart upside down and stick the uprights in the scuppers from the top. That is how I kept the cart with the boat when I had the scupper cart.

I believe the OP is interested in not having the scupper style cart. Water deep enough to stuff the cart in from the bottom without tipping it on it's side is going to be a very cold affair in most Michigan lakes. Much better to shove it off in water just deep enough to float the Yak with the rudder up and the drive out.

And yes larger diameter is great until you take the OPs original intent again. The larger the diameter the higher the cart is. The higher the cart the more difficult it is to load the Yak by sliding on. Been there done that and bought the Tee Shirt.

Thanks for the advice, guys. Thought about fabricating something wih lots of surface area for getting over sand and rocks, and low vertical profile for easy on-water scupper plug-in, but realized that tank treads on a kayak was probably over-engineering things a bit. Ended up ordering the Wheeleez kayak beach cart, with the optionl rail kit. This should perform well in the sand, and we'll just have to see about the rocky areas. Tight lines.